Ford Recalling Bronco Sports and Escapes Due to Defective Rear Brake Pads

[Whatheheck]

I’ve flown multi million dollar aircraft that have recalls (called AC or AD’s). Nobody likes having problems with a new vehicle but it’s most likely to happen when new.

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[Tabletalk1]

I wish I had looked at this forum first. My wife’s BS started to have groaning noises from the brakes when she backed out the garage in the morning or any time that is sat like at work at less than 4000 miles. We live in a hilly area – lots of long downhills to stop signs and although they put a lot of salt down in the winter the BS is in a heated garage and is driven at least 6 out of 7 days a week. Her car reached the lot October 30, 2021.

She took it in yesterday to have the brakes looked at well as the recall for the right-hand oil separator leak which was found to be OK. The brakes however they found the rotors were warped in the front and glazed in the rear. They machined both sets of rotors down and scuffed the pads. No charge of course. My Fordpass has no recalls listed for the brakes, but after reading these 10 pages it’s pretty clear they are from the bad batch. We’ll have to wait and see but I predict we’ll have be having issues again in the future.

 

[Mark S.]

...after reading these 10 pages it’s pretty clear they are from the bad batch...

You might want to go back and read through this thread again. The recall had nothing to do with noisy brakes, or glazed/warped rotors.

 

[69cuda340s]

You might want to go back and read through this thread again. The recall had nothing to do with noisy brakes, or glazed/warped rotors.

Yep yet again 'my brakes make noise' and 'there is brake recall' so 'I want my brake noise fixed by recall'. Not a clue what exactly the recall is about. Yeah its 'brakes' but its not 'noise' but we keep getting ppl associating the two....

 

[Mark S.]

Yep yet again 'my brakes make noise' and 'there is brake recall' so 'I want my brake noise fixed by recall'. Not a clue what exactly the recall is about. Yeah its 'brakes' but its not 'noise' but we keep getting ppl associating the two....

I believe I mentioned this before, but this is a case where I believe there is TOO MUCH information available on the internet. Ordinarily you wouldn't hear a thing about a recall until all the data had been collected and a resolution agreed upon. I think someone jumped the gun on this one. Additionally, I believe the parties may have agreed upon a way to satisfy the recall, then changed to a different method when it became apparent that parts for the original solution would not be available (that's speculation on my part).

All in all, if Ford and the NHTSA representatives were looking for the best way to confuse consumers the recall process for this issue on the Bronco Sport should be required reading.

 

[69cuda340s]

I believe I mentioned this before, but this is a case where I believe there is TOO MUCH information available on the internet. Ordinarily you wouldn't hear a thing about a recall until all the data had been collected and a resolution agreed upon. I think someone jumped the gun on this one. Additionally, I believe the parties may have agreed upon a way to satisfy the recall, then changed to a different method when it became apparent that parts for the original solution would not be available (that's speculation on my part).

All in all, if Ford and the NHTSA representatives were looking for the best way to confuse consumers the recall process for this issue on the Bronco Sport should be required reading.

Yeah first it was rear brake pads then front brake pads but only for vacuum boosted brakes. But never ever was it ever noise. But reguardless large numbers of ppl 'brake noise' and 'brake recall' means 'recall fixes brake noise'. But its always been crystal clear recall was never about 'noise'. But the 'recall should fix my brake noise' will never end...

 

[Tabletalk1]

You might want to go back and read through this thread again. The recall had nothing to do with noisy brakes, or glazed/warped rotors.

You might want to read them. The second and third comments on the very first page talk about noisy brakes when backing up. While the recall may not be about this one of the sure indications that your pads are defective is that wear the rotors or glaze them over - they had to scuff ours after 4000 miles which does not seem like a good sign.

 

[Mark S.]

...one of the sure indications that your pads are defective is that wear the rotors or glaze them over...

Once you've made the mental leap from brake "noise" to "defective" pads then it's easy to assume they are the cause of your glazed rotors. But neither the documents from Ford and the NHTSA about this recall, nor logic born from a more in-depth understanding of the issues supports your assumption. This is why I suggested you read further in the thread beyond the first few posts.

The recall stems from a failure to achieve desired braking performance, and the replacement of OEM pads with "higher friction" alternatives is the fix. There is nothing in any of the many, many documents available online (you find links to all of them in this thread) regarding the recall that mention rotor glazing or abnormal noises. The ONLY place you will find mention of abnormal noises associated with this recall is in forums such as this one, by owners making assumptions.

While it's possible that defective pads can result in glazed rotors (and weird noises!), we have not seen widespread complaints about glazed rotors, so I'm skeptical they are the cause of yours. Your dealership service department seems to agree, or else it would have replaced your pads instead of simply scuffing them as you claim they did.

Overheating is the primary cause of rotor glazing (see links below), which makes it illogical to assume the pad replacement recommended by Ford to address the recall would be the solution to rotor glazing. Why? Because the recall replaces OEM pads with higher-friction alternatives. Higher-friction pads will result in MORE heat, which will INCREASE the likelihood of rotor glazing. This is undoubtedly why Ford selected a lower-friction pad in the first place.

You can read more about glazed rotors (not likely warped) in the links below:

https://www.buybrakes.com/help/why-do-brake-rotors-warp/

https://evanstire.com/3-myths-about-common-braking-problems/

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/why-do-brake-rotors-warp

Your owner's manual includes a caution against heavy braking during the first 1000 miles. One of the primary reasons is to give the pads and rotors time to properly seat to each other. There are peaks and valleys in the surface of both new pads and rotors. As you use the brakes during break-in, the peaks on the pads are worn away, and the material--brake dust--is supposed to be carried away from the rotor. If the rotors get too hot, however, the material gets sticky and collects in the valleys. The next time you step on the brakes it gets smeared on the rotor, and voila', your rotors are glazed.

My recommendation is to talk to your wife about this break-in period for the brakes to avoid a repeat of your problem. Alternatively, follow the advice in the article from www.yourmechanic.com I posted above, and perform an accelerated break-in:

Also, when the brake pads are first installed they should be properly broken in to ensure they don't leave too much material on the brake rotor. This usually involves getting the car up to road speed and then braking until it is traveling ten miles per hour slower. After this is done a few times, you can work your way up to braking to a complete stop. The first few full stops after that should be done with care. This allows the brake pad to perform better during hard braking further down the road.

 

[Tabletalk1]

Well we go a call from the dealer that Ford wants the BS back to replace the rotors and pads on recall. Funny because they started to make noise again when backing up even after surfacing the rotors and scuffing the pads. My wife was just about to call them and tell them the problem had not gone away. So I was right and the long diatribes about break in , etc by Mark S. were a waste of a lot of typing.

 

[Mark S.]

So I was right and the long diatribes about break in , etc by Mark S. were a waste of a lot of typing.

*SIGH* You are not right; the recall has nothing to do with noise or rotor glazing.. My “diatribe” was meant to help. Sorry for wasting your time. Good luck.

 

[69cuda340s]

Well we go a call from the dealer that Ford wants the BS back to replace the rotors and pads on recall. Funny because they started to make noise again when backing up even after surfacing the rotors and scuffing the pads. My wife was just about to call them and tell them the problem had not gone away. So I was right and the long diatribes about break in , etc by Mark S. were a waste of a lot of typing.

Glad to hear your dealer is trying to fix your brake noise even though recall is not intended to address noise issues.

 

[RS1]

*SIGH* You are not right; the recall has nothing to do with noise or rotor glazing.. My “diatribe” was meant to help. Sorry for wasting your time. Good luck.

My dealer isn’t quite sure what the recall on brakes is about. They just say,”we don’t have recall repair parts yet”.

 

[Mark S.]

My dealer isn’t quite sure what the recall on brakes is about. They just say,”we don’t have recall repair parts yet”.

Sadly, some dealers are not as well informed as some owners. All the documents related to the recall are available at the NHTSA’s website. There are links to everything on this site. This recall is about reduced braking performance in the event of a brake booster failure. It has nothing to do with the odd noises or bad rotors.

 

[Small]

May not be cost effective, but for me it certainly is time effective. As stated above, brake pads are not hard to do (and do correctly). My dealer is 30+ miles away and takes awhile to get any maintenance appointment right now.

And if I go hang around the dealer while work is being done, I may be tempted to order me a BL version.

Same problem here , i have 2 different noises now 3 if you count the clicking when you shut it off..im really disappointed in the badlands sport. It can get to better spots when out 4x4ing better than my F350 ,but theres no way in hell its gonna last as long. Nothing but an over hyped up bronco sport, wouldnt recommend one to anyone.

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